The present invention generally relates to in-line roller skates having an upper shoe portion for securely holding the skater""s foot connected by an appropriate fastening means to a lower frame portion which may include an in-line wheel brake or speed control system and means for quickly and easily replacing worn wheels.
In-line roller skates generally include a plurality of wheels, mounted in-line, one behind the other, rotatable in a common, longitudinally extending, plane of rotation. The wheels are typically carried and supported by a lower frame portion attached to an in-line roller skate shoe or boot. A conventional in-line roller skate also includes an upper shoe (or boot) portion that is securely attached to the lower frame portion. The upper shoe portion provides the support for the skater""s foot while the lower frame portion provides the rigid substructure or undercarriage for the in-line roller skate wheels.
In-line roller skates are very maneuverable and are capable of higher speeds than those customarily associated with conventional paired wheel roller skates. In-line roller skating is generally considered to require higher levels of skill, coordination, and strength than conventional paired wheel roller skating because of the narrow, lateral support base associated with in-line roller skates. Specifically, while balancing in the forward and rear direction is relatively easy for even inexperienced skaters, balancing in the sideward or lateral direction is difficult because of the narrow support base and is heavily dependent upon the skater""s balancing and coordination skills. Proper ankle and foot supports within the upper shoe portion of the in-line roller skate aid in lateral balancing.
To obtain the optimum performance from an in-line roller skate, it is important that the in-line roller skate be maintained in a substantially vertical position. The upper shoe portion of the in-line roller skate serves competing purposes of providing support and comfort; comfort in a shoe not usually being associated with a high degree of support. In other words, the incorporation of rigid support structures in the upper shoe portion of the in-line roller skate tends to add stiffness and bulk, and, considering the warm weather environments conducive to in-line roller skating, tends to make the skates, heavy, hot, and uncomfortable. Because serious ankle and other injuries can result if comfort is favored over support, proper support in an in-line roller skate has been the dominant design criteria in the past.
In prior designs, the conventional upper shoe portion of the in-line roller skate is usually formed of rigid, non-breathable, plastic materials having an inner liner. The plastic material generally forms the outer structure of the upper shoe portion, thereby requiring that a soft inner liner of sponge rubber or other like material be included to provide a modicum of comfort to the user. Since such soft materials combined with the rigid plastic shell are good insulators and do not readily transmit heat or air away from the user""s foot, the result is a hot upper shoe portion.
To provide lateral stability, conventional alpine ski boot designs have readily been adapted to in-line roller skates. These boots provide support and durability characteristics necessary for in-line roller skates. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,351,537 and 5,171,033 are both exemplary of rigid injection molded boots adapted to winter sports, such as ice skating and alpine skiing, which have been modified for in-line roller skating applications. These patents disclose an upper boot portion, which comprises a hard plastic outer shell with a soft inner liner. While this type of boot design is well-suited for cold weather sports, the upper shoe portion tends to be hot and uncomfortable when used in warm weather sports such as in-line roller skating. The ""033 patent suggests that by including xe2x80x9cprimarily unobstructed ventilation portsxe2x80x9d in the rigid synthetic outer shell of the upper shoe portion, air can circulate around the skater""s foot, thereby eliminating some of the heat associated with the hard plastic outer shell. While this patent seeks to address the issue of comfort, the disclosed upper shoe portion is still configured of two parts, including a hard plastic outer shell and a soft inner liner, which in warm weather conditions can be uncomfortable, compared to conventional walking and/or running shoes due to excessive heat buildup. The result is that the skater""s feet are often hot, damp, and uncomfortable.
Another problem with the adoption of injection molded ski-type boots to in-line roller skating is that while providing excellent lateral stiffness and rigidity for lateral ankle support, these boots also create unnecessary and unwanted forward/rearward stiffness and rigidity. Ski-type boots detract from the performance characteristics of the skate because they limit the range of motion of the skater""s legs and feet and therefore, the ability of the skater to utilize the full extent of his strength and agility.
Further, it is desirable for an in-line roller skate upper shoe portion to be lightweight. Boots that are well-suited to skiing applications wherein it is not necessary to raise and lower the boot with every movement of the foot (because the skier relies on gravity to provide the forward or downward motion) prove heavy and bulky when adapted to in-line roller skating. When skating on a flat surface, the in-line roller skater must lift the boot with every stride to provide a forward impetus, and a heavy upper shoe portion causes fatigue and reduces skating enjoyment.
Alternative modes of providing both comfort and adequate support for in-line roller skating have been suggested. Specifically, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,963,252, 4,418,929, and 5,069,462 show roller skate frames that include a platform adapted to allow the skater to wear a conventional street shoe that is inserted into a series of braces and supports. These skates offer alternative shoe and frame designs to the rigid plastic outer shell and inner liner of the conventional in-line roller skate. However, significant problems exist with such designs in that the adjustable braces and supports of these designs, while needed to accommodate numerous shoe sizes and shapes, are bulky and uncomfortable. Additionally, there is a limited range of shoe types that the skates will accommodate, and thus, there is the additional requirement that the skater have the proper shoe type to properly utilize the skate.
Because speed beyond that of conventional skating is associated with in-line roller skating, there is a further need for speed control systems on in-line roller skates. Prior solutions to speed control include the placement of bumpers or friction pads on the front or rear of at least one of the skates, allowing the skater to tip or lift his or her foot, either forward or rearward, to bring the bumper into contact with the skating surface. Accordingly, the skater drags the bumper along until he or she has slowed to a desired speed. While this system has proven satisfactory for paired wheel roller skates using pairs of wheels in a side-by-side configuration as the support base, the narrow lateral support base of in-line roller skates makes this breaking maneuver difficult. Accordingly, speed control on in-line roller skates employing this type of drag brake requires a high level of skill and coordination to be performed properly. Higher speeds make it difficult for the skater to raise or remove the weight from one foot to properly position the bumper for contact with the skating surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,736 shows a conventional brake adapted for use in in-line roller skating. A pad is retained in a brake housing, the housing being securely fastened to the lower frame portion of the in-line roller skate. Other patents, specifically U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,052,701 and 5,028,058, disclose similar braking pads having different configurations mounted on the rear of in-line roller skates. However, in all of these designs, it is necessary for the skater to maneuver or reposition at least one of his feet to properly apply the brake.
Some alternative braking methods have been proposed that apply friction plates or pads to the wheels of the in-line roller skate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,032 suggests a method of braking by horizontally forcing one or more plates against the in-line roller skate wheel(s). The plates are actuated by a hand control 80, causing brake pads 40 to move substantially horizontally toward in-line roller skate wheel(s) 98.
Braking apparatus used on in-line roller skates must be configured to minimize possible damage to the braking system caused by the user falling or bringing the skate into contact with fixed objects. The design must further avoid debris from becoming jammed in the brake, causing the brake to fail to function and thereby failing to control the skater""s speed. More importantly, the brake must be designed to avoid inadvertently jamming against the wheel(s) during skating. It is thus important to position the braking apparatus within the lower frame portion of the in-line roller skate to protect the moving parts of the brake from debris or from being damaged due to impacts.
Another problem with prior art designs for in-line skates involves the need to be able to quickly and easily replace wheels as they become worn. Most current systems require major disassembly of either the lower frame portion or the wheel and mounting axle structure in order to replace a wheel. In this regard, there is a long-felt need for a method of readily replacing or interchanging in-line roller wheels.
In accordance with the present invention, an in-line roller skate is disclosed having a comfortable and soft, pliable, breathable shoe portion including a base and an ankle support cuff. The shoe portion may incorporate strategically placed rigid and semi-rigid structures to provide needed support for the skater""s foot. The structures may comprise a heel counter integral with the soft, pliable, breathable shoe portion or be attached to the base portion for connection to the soft, upper portion of the shoe. Further included in the preferred embodiment of the invention is an ankle support cuff hingedly attached to the internal or external heel counter. Arch, heel, and ball supports for the foot may also be provided within the shoe portion, specifically the base portion, to improve the support and comfort of the in-line roller skate.
The ankle support cuff is adjustably attached to the heel counter to provide both lateral and longitudinal adjustment of the ankle support cuff with respect to the base portion. The base portion may be provided with means for attachment to a lower frame portion, generally supporting a plurality of wheels rotatable in a common plane of rotation. The attachment means of the base to the lower frame portion may allow both lateral and longitudinal movement of the upper shoe portion with respect to the lower frame portion. Alternatively the base and lower frame portion may be a single molded unit.
The present invention may also include a speed control, including a pressure plate above a minimum of one, but preferably two, of the in-line roller wheels. The pressure plate is biased away from the in-line roller wheels in a substantially vertical direction. Upon actuation of the speed control, the pressure plate is forced substantially downward until it contacts at least one in-line roller wheel. Actuation of the speed control can be accomplished using either a lever, or alternatively, by a cable actuating means.
Further included in the frame portion of the present invention are means for quickly releasing and replacing the in-line wheels, such as when worn or damaged.
The present invention departs from the teachings of the prior art by forming a substantial part of the upper shoe portion out of soft, pliable, breathable materials capable of transmitting air and heat directly therethrough, while also properly supporting the user""s foot. The support is provided in a few critical areas, such as the ankle and heel of the user""s foot, using rigid materials. Semi-rigid materials may also be used in some support portions. In particular, the upper shoe portion of the present invention comprises a soft, pliable, breathable shoe material in combination with a rigid or semi-rigid base portion and ankle support cuff. As a result, the body of the upper shoe portion is comfortable for a skater to wear while the base portion and ankle support cuff of the upper shoe portion provide the support needed to allow a skater to easily maintain the in-line roller skate wheels oriented vertically on their roller surfaces while skating.
The term xe2x80x9crigidxe2x80x9d with respect to the present invention means a plastic material highly resistant to bending or flexing, while xe2x80x9csemi-rigidxe2x80x9d means that the material, while capable of resisting a substantial deforming force, is also able to bend or be temporarily deformed by a force somewhat greater than the normal force encountered in use. xe2x80x9cHeat moldablexe2x80x9d refers to both rigid and semi-rigid plastic materials that become reasonably pliable and formable at a higher temperature than would customarily be associated with in-line roller skating.
In general, a combination of heat moldable xe2x80x9crigidxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csemi-rigidxe2x80x9d plastic materials are used in combination with soft, pliable breathable materials, in an in-line roller skate, to provide greater comfort, without foregoing the support that has previously been achieved using xe2x80x9crigidxe2x80x9d materials. It will be understood that the terms xe2x80x9crigidxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csemi-rigidxe2x80x9d may thus refer not only to the type or hardness of material used in the in-line roller skate, but also to the thickness of the material. Similarly, the terms xe2x80x9cnon-rigid,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9csoft,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cpliablexe2x80x9d describe materials such as leather, cloth or mesh fabrics of various densities that have a certain flexibility and xe2x80x9cgivexe2x80x9d to them as compared to a rigid or semi-rigid material and thus are more comfortable for a skater when placed adjacent a skater""s foot. The term xe2x80x9cbreathablexe2x80x9d refers to a material through which air can readily pass and is distinguished from molded plastic materials of either the rigid or semi-rigid type that are substantially impervious to air transmission or which simply provide ventilation ports for air circulation.